The San Pedro Sun

Belize’s September Celebrations are fun!!September is the month of celebration in Belize. Our official Independence Day is September 21st, but the days and nights leading to that date are filled with activity. Under the theme “Industrious Hands, Intelligent Minds, Together for Belize”, 2014’s celebrations are set to bring in Belize’s 33rd Independence anniversary.
September 10th is the 216th anniversary of the Battle of St. George’s Caye. It’s the pre-party and involves a more sedate celebration, with a uniform parade and the coronation of the various municipalities’ newest beauty ambassadors. Our Miss San Pedro is the lovely Michelle Nuñez, and she was crowned by the outgoing Miss San Pedro Solani Graniel.
The BIG party starts from the night of the 20th. Pomp and circumstance, a 21-gun salute, rousing speeches and to cap it off, grand fireworks’ displays – all come together to bring in the 21st.
The next day, a colorful and vibrant parade through the principal streets of the towns, villages and cities of Belize. Music, colorful costumes, revelry and patriotism come alive every September. It’s our absolute favorite time of year, and we welcome you to celebrate with us!

Fashion Show fundraiser held for Alicia Cisneros-SanchezAlicia Cisneros-Sanchez is currently in Merida, Yucatan, Mexico undergoing treatment after being diagnosed with Thyroid Cancer. A young mother of two, Alicia has remained optimistic, but help was needed, and quickly. With the help of her amazing life-long friends, a fundraiser was quickly organized to help raise much-needed funds. Along with a barbecue sale held on Saturday, September 6th, a fashion show by Foreva Fancy was held at Wet Willy’s Cantina. Alicia would like to thank everyone who has been helping during her time of need. To all those who spread the word, sold tickets, stood by her side and have been supporting her throughout her battle, a big THANK YOU. We wish Alicia all the best during her treatment, and your wolf pack awaits your return with open arms.

No gold for volleyball team but Excellent Gain of ExperienceThe Belize Male Volleyball Delegation may not have placed at the 28th CODICADER (Centroamericano de Deportes y Recreacion) Games, but the boys certainly gained valuable experience playing at an international level. The seven San Pedro High School (SPHS) students that traveled to Guatemala on Monday, September 1st to represent Belize have made their community proud even though they could not mange to pull off a win.
To Gabriel Nuñez, Guillermo Nuñez, Afri Black, Shemar Broaster, Francisco Pineda, Jovi Ico and Giomar Marin, the opportunity to participate in the CODICADER Games is a victory on its own. Team coaches Erick Santizo, Paul Kelly and Guillermo Rivero congratulate the boys on their playing skills and sportsmanship. “The volleyball team played their best; we could not ask for more. Even with injuries in the team we still managed to give a good game. The boys are now motivated and are looking forward to putting their experience to use in Belize,” said Santizo. The delegation would like to thank their sponsors Canary Cove and Gaby’s Construction and the entire San Pedro community for their support.

Hol Chan Marine Reserve loses PACT Grant for proposed reserve expansion: GOB subdivides part of the proposed reserve areaThe San Pedro Sun can confirm that a grant awarded to Hol Chan Marine Reserve by the Protected Areas Conservation Trust (PACT) has been cancelled and is considered null and void. The grant of $199,500 was awarded to Hol Chan on October 7, 2013 for the management of the proposed expansion of the current marine reserve. The proposed ‘Ambergris Caye Wetlands Project’ expansion document has been before the Cabinet for the past three years but has yet to be signed into law. On the wake of the cancellation of the grant and delay of the signing of the proposed reserve, the Government of Belize (GOB) is surveying a part of the swamp and wetland to distribute housing lots within the proposed reserve.

Special Envoy For Women and Children Speaks on Violence against WomenThe Special Envoy for Women and Children, Mrs. Kim Simplis Barrow wishes to highlight the fact that violence against women in the family, workplace, community and society in general, is unacceptable and a gross violation of human rights. Violence whether occurring in the home or in the community, instils fear and insecurity in women, often leading them not to report or to withdraw reports.
Mrs. Simplis Barrow encourages both women and men to report acts of violence and follow through with legal proceedings; stressing that fear, social pressures and shame should not be a deterrent to seeking help. The Domestic Violence Act is there to provide protection and the Police Department has an obligation to respond to all reports of domestic violence regardless of the perpetrator. Failure to hold perpetrators accountable for their actions not only encourages further abuse, but also gives the impression that violence against women and or men is acceptable or normal.

Misc Belizean Sources

Lecture on “Featuring Belize: Exploring Options and Challenges for Economic Development”The National Celebrations Commission in collaboration with the University of Belize, St. John’s College Junior College and Galen University presents a national lecture on the topic “Featuring Belize: Exploring Options and Challenges for Economic Development” to be held at 7:30 p.m. on September 17th, 2014 at the Bliss Centre for the Performing Arts.
The lecture will feature presentations by Dr. Philip Castillo, Mrs. Marcia Bouloy, Mr. Gian Vasquez and Dr. Leroy Almendarez. Students, teachers and members of the general public are especially encouraged to attend. For more information contact the Institute for Social and Cultural Research at 822-3307 or email us at iscr@nichbelize.org.

Diosa Maya InternacionalThe Yucatan in Belize event will be happening at the Cayo Welcome Center over the next week. Belize has won the last 2 Diosa Maya pageants. Dalina Reyes won this year, and Grisel Carballo last year.

Siam Thai RestaurantThere's a new Thai Restaurant in Cayo, and it's delicious. Siam Thai Restaurant is the name, and it's located in the Riverwalk area, just outside of town. It's from the same people that had Thai Island, so you know it's delicious, and spicy, just like it should be. Right now, it's by reservation only. Call them at 662-4502 to set up a dinner. The view is spectacular.

Belize to support Uruguay for OAS Secretary GeneralBelize says it will support Uruguay for the position of secretary general of the Organization of American States (OAS) and downplayed any suggestion that its non-support for the Guatemalan candidate was linked to the ongoing territorial dispute between the two countries.
Prime Minister Dean Barrow speaking on television said Uruguay’s Luis Almagro “is ahead of the game” as regards the campaign for its candidate.
But Barrow indicated should the Guatemalan candidate be victorious, there is the hope he “would act professionally as secretary general “one hopes he able to act professionally as secretary general of the OAS.
“He doesn’t become Guatemala’s secretary general of the OAS, he is a Guatemalan national if he wins that will become the secretary general of the OAS. We have to be careful because remember we have fielded a candidate for the deputy secretary generalship,” Barrow added.

Belizean Company aiming for Tanzania GoldFirst off let me say that with the recent “get rich quick” schemes that have been popping up around Belize, this one smells like one of them from the start. I may be wrong but.
Kilimanjaro Capital (KIMJF), a “new breed” natural resource company based in Belize, is looking to acquire an interest in Tanzanian gold assets controlled by Sika Resources Inc., a Canadian company.
In a press release issued Friday morning, Kilimanjaro Capital announced an agreement in principle had been made with Sika Resources “to acquire an interest in world class gold assets in Tanzania.”
Tanzania is the third largest gold producer in Africa, is investor friendly, and politically stable, due to its progressive, western-oriented political system.
Although Tanzania is already the third largest gold producing country in Africa, many regions are yet to be explored. According to the press release, the Sika Resources properties that interest Kilimanjaro Capital lie within the Lake Victoria Goldfields, an area mined by a number of resources companies with an estimated 60 million ounces of gold in reserves.

Belize Gets $10.5 Million Loan For Small Business DevelopmentBelize has received a $10.5 million loan from the Caribbean Development Bank for small business development, the bank announced last week.
The loan is to the country’s Development Finance Corporation, which works to improve home ownership, human development and the development of micro, small and medium-sized businesses.
“MSMEs are fundamental to the economic landscape of Belize and are estimated to account for a significant share of economic activity and employment generation,” the CDB said in a statement. “However, they are usually faced with a number of challenges including limited access to, and the cost of financing.”

Belize Electricity System Upgrade LaunchedThe Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) remains committed to assisting the Government of Belize in achieving its development objectives including those in the electricity sector. This message was conveyed to staff of the Belize Electricity Limited (BEL) at a workshop held from September 3 to 5, to officially launch the project to upgrade and expand the electricity system. This project is being funded by a loan of USD11.231mn.
This upgrade and expansion will be the sixth intervention by CDB in the electricity sector in Belize but the first for all of the staff members of BEL involved in its implementation. The aim was to inform these key BEL staff of CDB’s procedures and requirements as they relate to the implementation of the Project.
CDB’s Portfolio Manager, Allison Davis, told the participants that further improvements in the electricity sector were important because of the fact that energy is the engine of growth.

Employment Opportunity – Join our dynamic Team today.The Belize Trade and Investment Development Service (BELTRAIDE) is a statutory body of the Government of Belize mandated to perform functions and duties related to:
Trade Development and Promotion
Investment Generation and Promotion
Enterprise Development and Facilitation
BELTRAIDE operates within the portfolio of the Ministry of Trade, Investment Promotion, Private Sector Development, and Consumer Protection.
BELTRAIDE is seeking the services of a suitably qualified and experienced person for the post of Business Development Officer.

SAN PEDRO SCHOOLS CHILDREN'S RALLY (58 photos)The Ministry of Education, Youth & Sports in San Pedro held its annual School Children's Rally at the R. Angel Nuñez Auditorium on Friday, 12th of September. The program included a beautiful rendition of the national anthem by the San Pedro High School's band which followed a well recited National Prayer by students of the San Pedro R.C. Church. Miss Trisha Stokes then graced everyone with her rendition of My Homeland by the Sea followed by an inspirational speech by Miss San Pedro 2014, Michelle Estrella Nunez. As part of the ceremony, selected students and teachers were presented with a certificate of Most Patriotic Student/Teacher in Education by Miss San Pedro 2014. After the official ceremony concluded, the event continued with presentations from the San Pedro Pre-School, San Pedro High School Band and Marching Band, Holy Cross Anglican School and the San Pedro Dance Academy.

Corozal and Punta Gorda to be recipients of IDB FundingDirector of Destination Planning, Kevin Gonzalez – Belize Tourism Board, Dr. Mamoru Osada, Urban and Regional Planner working under the auspices of the Ministry of Tourism, Destination Planning and Development Coordinator Clive Myers, Belize Tourism Board and the Corozal Chapter of the (BTIA) Belize Tourism Industry Association convened at an 11:00 a.m. meeting this morning at Tony’s Inn, to discuss the preparatory phase of planning flow of the South End Park Development Project beginning at the entrance of Corozal from the southern end of town covering the entire coastline to the north end in-front of Cascada Maya.
The undertaking is a very ambitious one but with the right components and approach will bring prosperity and an environment conducive to business for the people and residents of Corozal.
In Monday’s news, we will outline the key objectives necessary to prepare the components for the IDB funding, including the preparatory, analytical design, implementation and finalization phases. The funding is scheduled to be in place, two years of the components being completed and endorsed by the Corozal Town Council.
Beneficiaries of this IDB funding, so far, have been San Pedro’s Water Taxi Terminal, Placencia’s Water Taxi Terminal, San Ignacio and Belize City.

Belize Takes Bronze at CODICADERCongratulations, Caesar Dyck, for winning the bronze medal in Karate at the CODICADER games, which were just held in Guatemala.
"The Belize Karate Federation congratulates Ceasar Dyck on his performance at the CODICADER Games held in Guatemala on September 3-7, 2014. Dyck fought his heart out against Costa Rican Champion, Daniel Alfaro to secure a bronze medal for Belize at a score of 4 points -1 point. Even though Mr Dyck was the sole karate athlete representing Belize, the auditorium roared with support from the Panamanian and Salvadoran fans. The under 76 kilograms category was was won by Guatemalan, Javier Morales, who defeated the sub-champion Nicaraguan, Andres Abrahan. Ceasar Dyck trains at the Cayo Shotokan Karate Club, San Ignacio and has been the National Champion in his category for 2012, 2013 and 2014."

Chevening Scholarships for 3 BelizeansThe British High Commission announced the recipient's of this year's UK Chevening Scholarships, and there were 3 Belizean recipients, with one from Cayo. Congratulations to all 3, and best of luck in your studies.
"The British High Commisson in Belize is pleased to announce that Chevening Scholarships have been awarded to 3 Belizeans who will travel to the UK later this month to commence their studies.
Ebony Lyall from the Cayo District will be studying for an MSc in Forensic Science at the University of Strathclyde. Brian Duncan from Belize City will be studying for an LLM in International Corporate Governance, Financial Regulation and Economic Law at the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, while Ashanti Guzman, also from Belize City will study for an MA in Criminology and Criminal Justice at City University, London."

Channel 7

Taking Down TitanFor the past two days, we've been telling you about the US led crackdown on Offshore companies in Belize, mainly Titan International Securities. Well tonight, two of the Titan owners, Bahamians Kelvin Leach and Rohn Knowles are in police custody after they were intercepted trying to fly out of the country today.
As we've told you, 2 of them men have been named with 4 other defendants, including Belizean Andrew Godfrey, in a federal indictment accusing them of participating in a scheme which defrauded the US Government of 1 billion Belize dollars in taxes.
As we've shown you, local law enforcement has been going to great lengths to facilitate the US authorities, even though no crime was committed on Belizean soil. As we showed you last night, the US funded Anti Drug Unit, took eight hours to clean out the offices of the 3 men on the 4th floor of the Matalon Building on Coney Drive. At the end of the raid, truckloads of documents, records, computers, and personal items were confiscated and delivered to the Financial Intelligence Unit.

Customs Catch Contraband Beer Buried UndergroundTonight, the Customs Department is reporting a major contraband bust on in Western Belize. 7News has confirmed that Customs from the Benque Viejo border working along with San Ignacio police went to Bullet Tree Village this evening where they found 83 cases of assorted contraband beer buried four feet underground.
And that's not all of it! An additional 64 cases were found stowed in an adjacent lot. So, that's a total of 147 cases of contraband - and so far a man and woman who live in the area are being questioned.
They are still on the scene, so at this time information is scarce. But we'll definitely have more details of this major bust in Monday's newscast. We should note that Bullett Ree Village, being near to the Western Border is considered one of the main points of illegal cross border trade.

34 Cuban-Trained Belizean Doctors Return HomeTonight, we have some positive news coming out of the Ministry of health after the bad publicity of multiple vehicle thefts. 34 Belizean doctors have returned from Cuba after 6 years of study. It was a challenging course, but these 34 aspiring medical professionals pushed through - and made it back home with their diplomas. Now, they are getting ready for an internship at the KHMH. Courtney Weatherburne spoke to them today:..
Mr. John Waight, Coordinator, Medical Internship Program
"It is design primarily to help reestablish and relocate Belizeans who have been trained in Cuba through the good offices of the Cubs/Belize agreement to relocate and train these young doctors for work in our settings given that there are differences in practice between practices in Cuba and practice here in Belize. It consist of year of in hospital practice and supervision. There are 4 rotations through the 4 major specialties and there are clinical skills that have to be acquired during that time and a fairly robust and intensive continuing medical education which is what I supervise."

Guild Says Not GuiltyLast night, we told you about the arraignment of Patrick Guild, the man who police accused of behaving lawlessly at a traffic stop on Mahogany Street on The 10th Celebration.
He was charged with assaulting a police officer, using insulting words, obstruction, and resisting arrest. According to the officers who asked him for his license and other documents for the vehicle, he handed it over, and then because they were taking too long, he got angry and tried to leave. They say that he grabbed his documents back from the officer, arrogantly asked them if they didn't know who he was, and tried to drive away. Allegedly, in the process, he brushed one of the officers, and that's why he was charged with assaulting a police officer.
Well today, Guild, who is out on bail, called us out to say that the entire police version is fictional and untrue, made up to try and ruin his reputation.

Cop Beats Extortion ChargeIn December of last year, Forty-one year old Police Constable Dayton Sacassa was accused of an ugly case of extortion - he allegedly shook down two men who were in the holding cell, offering them freedom in exchange for what might be called "a few pieces of silver."
He was charged with 2 counts of extortion but was freed of both charged today by the Chief Magistrate, Anne Marie Smith when she dismissed the charges after the prosecution offered no further evidence because the complainants failed to appear.
The case was cute because Sacassa allegedly offered two detainees freedom for fifty dollars each, but when the detainees found out that they would have been freed anyway they made a report to the Professional Standard branch.

Security Guard Salgado Sent To Jail for GunSecurity Guards carry guns all the time, but tonight, the news is about one who is in jail tonight because police say the gun he carried didn't have a license. Forty year old Leroy Salgado, a security guard employed by Anchor Security was charged with kept firearm and ammunition without a gun license when he appeared today before Magistrate Dale Cayetano. Salgado pled not guilty to the charges but because it is a firearm offence, no bail is offered, so he was remanded into custody until September 30th.
The incident occurred on September 9. The police reported that they went to Garden Building on Coney Drive where they saw Salgado with a 9 millimeter pistol.

SICA Foreign Affairs Summit San PedroAs we've reported, Belize is currently holding the pro-tem presidency of SICA, the Central American Integration System. So far that has meant high level meetings of the Ministers of Forestry and Fisheries, Energy and Science, Agriculture, and now, today in San Pedro, the Council of Foreign Ministers met. This meeting, like two of the others was held in San Pedro Town, and Foreign Minister Wilfred Elrington told us what's on the agenda:..
Hon. Wilfred Elrington, Minister of Foreign Affairs
"The important areas which we are going to continue to emphasize are the 5 pillars identified and prioritize by the heads of government. In our last meeting at Punta Cana in Dominican Republic and these are areas including climate change, disastrous management, democratic security, economic integration, social inclusion, poverty alleviation and institutional strengthening.

Hon. Hulse Sour About Sugar "She Seh Seh"At the top of the newscast we told you about almost 150 cases of contraband beer that Customs found in Bullett Tree Village. As we told you that area is a hot zone for cross border smuggling with Guatemala. On a good night, you can see anything from cattle to rice and cigarettes being smuggled over to Guatemala, and anything from beer to chemical precursors being brought into Belize.
And, our next story is about something like that: namely, sugar. The report is that on Monday 8th September at around 8:00 in the night, alert Cayo police came across 2 trucks loaded with 160 sacks of sugar in the area of the Calla Creek road - which is the major smuggling corridor from Belize into Guatemala.
Police detained 7 men and escorted them to the Benque Viejo border where they were handed over to Customs. Now, Customs told us that indeed they received the men and the cargo, but because it is not an offence to have local sugar in Belize, they could not charge them. Of course, customs, like everyone else, knows that the sugar was likely destined for Guatemala through the back, but they couldn't bring any charges because, as one official told us, quote, "you can't charge someone for what's in their mind." End quote. The men were advised that if they wanted to export the sugar, they would need a permit to do so.

Man Tells Court Cop Shot Him For Weed Sale37 year-old Owen Parham, the man who was shot by a special constable who he allegedly attempted to rob, dodged major jail time being added to his 5 year sentence today after he was acquitted of 4 out of 5 charges brought against him by that officer.
Special Constable James Stewart testified in his trial that on October 12, 2012, he was on patrol in the Lake Garden area of Ladyville. He says that he was surveying the area when he caught Parham attempting to break into one of the houses. The officer caught him peeping inside of one of the windows, and when he questioned Stewart, he said that he was looking for a nearby house.
When the officer searched him, he found a crowbar, and that's when the officer decided to detain him. Stewart said that while he was escorting Parham, the suspect suddenly turned around, punched him in his face, and tried to take away his gun. The officer says that in the struggle, he had to take that gun and shoot Parham in the leg 3 times.

Give Blood, It's NeededBlood donations are an essential part of our healthcare system. Without volunteers giving blood, many medical procedures we take for granted could not take place. And while doctors and surgeons rely on blood donations to carry out life-saving procedures every day- the Belize Blood Donors Service say they need more volunteers. The organization is encouraging Belizeans to become volunteers for the worthy cause. It is quite a simple procedure and today we were invited inside the office to see how it is done.
Ronald Stuart - Treasurer, Belize Voluntary Blood Donor's Association
"I am giving my quarterly donation. It's something that I look forward to because I know it is needed and one of the reasons were highlighting the need for the public to be aware and to be sensitize about blood donations is because we don't really want for there to be a situation where persons would try to be scrambling to try to find donors and if it's particularly a blood type that is among the smaller groups in the populations. So be aware how you could help and be willing to give or if you cannot give - to recruit persons who could give donations to help others when they are in need."

Belize's UN Vote For Security Council Sought AfterOn Tuesday, we told you about a Minister from Spain who was visiting to get Belize's support for that country's bid to be on the UN Security Council.
Well, the delegate from New Zealand beat him to it. Sir Donald McKinnon, the former Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand and Secretary General of the Commonwealth of Nations told us last Friday that he visited the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister asking for their support:..
Sir Donald Charles "Don" McKinnon, Special Envoy - New Zealand Prime Minister
"I am here to hopefully get the support of Belize and I had a very good discussion with the Prime Minister, I had a very discussion with the Foreign Minister and I can only say that we hope they will support us. It's really important that smaller states like New Zealand, like Belize, like Trinidad get an opportunity to sit on the Security Council. Yes there is the P5; China, Russia, US, Britain and France do have a dominant role, but it's important that the other 11 nations on the council play an active part."

Patriots HonouredThe Tribute to Belizean Patriots and the National Honours & Awards Ceremony was held last night at the Bliss Center in Belize City. Here are the honourees:..

Contraband Beer Bust in the WestThe Customs Department is reporting a major bust in the West. Benque and San Ignacio Police went to an area in the Bullet Tree Village where a whopping eighty-three cases [...]

Senator Mark Lizarraga Demands AccountabilityBusiness senator Mark Lizarraga, in his presentation, expressed concern over the request for ten million dollars in additional capital, since there is not yet a detailed breakdown of how the [...]

CTV3

It was The Tenth Day But In O/W There Was DivisionYesterday Belizeans across the country celebrated the 216th Battle of Saint George’s Caye Day. While some stayed home and made much of the holiday others decided to take part in the celebration by viewing the parade or taking part in the ceremonies.Here in Orange Walk the festivities for the Battle of Saint Georges Caye kicked off with a block party on the 9th followed by a special ceremony on the 10th organized by the Orange walk Town Council to mark the historic Battle of St. George's Caye. We must note that since they took office back in 2012 the town council, under the stewardship of Mayor Kevin Bernard, has honored the patriotic day deemed as a UDP festivity by many. But for Mayor Bernard the day has nothing to do with it being a PUP or UDP holiday, it is about honoring what our four-fathers fought for.
Yesterday though, the Town Council and Orange Walkenos carried out the 10th ceremonies without any representation from members of the United Democratic Party. While Deputy Prime Minister Gaspar Vega was scheduled to carry out the inspection of the guard and deliver the main address he was a no show as he decided that it was better to take part in an Endorsement Convention at the People's Stadium Instead of paying tribute to those who fought the battle, as did the Governor General Sir Colville Young and Primer Minister Dean Barrow. This just proves, says Mayor Bernard, that for some, party politics is more important than patriotism and unity.

23 Orange Walkenos Awarded For Being Outstanding CitizensThis afternoon at the Town Hall, a diverse selection of individuals who have impacted Orange Walk one way or the other were acknowledged for their contributions to the community. From medical officials, to business persons to historians, it was an event organized by the Town Council. Our team was there and bring you this report.
Maria Novelo – ReportingThis is the second year that the Orange Walk Town Council has acknowledged individuals for exemplary efforts demonstrating creativity, vision, leadership, and citizenship by providing service to programs and activities that positively impact the welfare of the Orange Walk community.Johnny Briceno – Guest Speaker“I know that most of the work that you do you do it from your heart, is something that you love doing, serving the people of this town and by extension our country and so I want to congratulate each and every one of you it is an award that you deserve and award that you have worked for but as you have pointed out that it is not an award that you expected because it is something that you do from your heart.”

Violence Against Women Is Unacceptable Say's Kim Simplis BarrowViolence against women in the family, workplace, community and society in general, is unacceptable and a gross violation of human rights. That is what was mentioned today in a statement issued by the Special Envoy for Women and Children, Kim Simplis Barrow.
While the statement does not make mention of any particular case, it is worth mentioning that the release follows an assault report made against Minister of Education Patrick Faber on Saturday September 6th by 25 year old Belizean License Officer at the Ministry of Education, Nickesha Polanco.As has been mentioned the report was withdrawn by Polanco on the same day it was made at the Ladyville Police Station. In her statement Polanco accused Faber of physically assaulted her while she celebrated her birthday at his house in Lord’s Bank Village.

UDP Organizes Endorsement Convention On The 10thAs mentioned, Deputy Prime Minister Gaspar Vega and the UDP organized an endorsement convention for yesterday where the aspiring Orange Walk UDP Town Council slate was sworn in at the People Stadium. There are those who are questioning whether the event could have been held on another date instead of making the tenth become a partisan occasion. Now, we must mention that were invited to cover both the motorcade and the endorsement convention. The invitation was extended via email by Louigie Gomez, one of the councilor candidates.
But Gomez would soon learn that in the UDP camp, at least here in the north, Vega rules and he has no say, not even as an aspiring councilor. As a professional news organization, we decided to cover the event with the aim of keep northenos informed after all we strongly believe that people of the North, in this case particularly Orange Walkenos, have every right to know who are the candidates that both parties are presenting for the upcoming Municipal Elections.

The Fire Was There But The Corozal Fire Department Wasn'tThree weeks ago Cesario Mozaia, a resident of Calcutta Village in the Corozal District, found himself battling a fire that started in his kitchen. If it wasn’t for the help of neighbors Mozaia’s house would have been completely engulfed in flames and he would have lost everything. So what started the fire? That is what Mozaia is still trying to find out because on the night of the incident the Corozal Fire Department was a no show and to date they have still not visited his home despite the fact that he reported the incident.Cecilio Mozaia – Fire Victim
“It was a Friday night right, about two o’clock in the morning to bring in Saturday morning when I woke up and I heard a big noise behind my house and so I see a blaze of fire and I said oh my goodness, what is going on right here so I got up and when I looked at the door the kitchen was in flames and well the first we did and a friend of mines he start to call the fire engine and unfortunately no fire engine appeared at all, at all and we were waiting and the police man they came.”

Another Grenade Found In The Old CapitalBelize Police find a second grenade in the City in the span of a week. Last week the Police briefed the press about a grenade found on Banak Street in the City and promised an update on the investigations this week. Today however, police informed the media that they had found yet another grenade on Mayflower Street which intersects Vernon Street in Belize City. The discovery was made after authorities received a call at ten yesterday morning. Senior Superintendent Edward Broaster, Deputy Commander of the Eastern Division in Belize City briefed the press this morning. Here is audio provided by our Colleagues at KREM News.

LOVE FM

MCC grounds not ready until DecemberThe last time we told you about the MCC Grounds in Belize City was back in June when the National Sports Director, Patrick Henry, informed us that field was being surveyed and leveled. That was three months ago and during the time that has passed, seeds for high quality grass were planted. The upgrade has not concluded because the grass has not yet fully grown yet. Henry told us today that the works are expected to be finished by December.
Patrick Henry
“If you notice the grass is growing but it takes a process and we must say that the rain came a long at the correct time and as a result it is growing at a faster pace. While the grass is growing we are working on the towers, there will be four towers and each tower will be 47.5 feet high and those towers will replace the existing lampposts and on each tower there will be 15 lights, 3 sets of five so at the end there will be a total of 60 lights.

First time J’ouvert to be done in Orange walkThis year a group is organizing the first ever j’ouvert in Orange Walk Town. Love news got the details from William Smith.
WILLIAM SMITH
“Lots of fun, excitement, a lot of mud, paint, the music, all that good feeling that you get that carnival is coming on later in the day so I am hoping to bring that to the people of Orange Walk and over the years people have been asking every time people come to Orange Walk ‘Why don’t we do one for Orange Walk, why doesn’t Orange Walk have its own J’ouvert?’. As you know Orange Walk has become the main spot for September 21st I think it may have even surpassed Belize City in terms of crowd going out to watch out parade and Carnival so I think the crowd is very excited that its going to be the first time and I am excited and everyone who is helping me is excited to bring this to Orange Walk for the first time.

A Trio involved in Fraud Scheme, gets caught at Philip Goldson AirportOn Tuesday we reported on the half a billion money laundering and fraud scheme that was taking place on the fourth floor of the Matalon Building in Belize City. As we have reported, the FBI sent directives to the Financial Intelligence Unit, to shut down IPC Corporate Services LLC; Titan International Securities, Inc.; Legacy Global Markets S.A.; and Unicorn International Securities over money laundering and fraud suspicion. The FBI believes, that the directors of the companies orchestrated a $500 million offshore asset protection, securities fraud, and money laundering scheme in Belize. The news tonight is that two of the directors allegedly involved in the fraud where detained by Belize City Police. Love News was informed that Kelvin Leach, and Rohn Knowles, two directors of Titan International Security, along with a female, were picked up by police at the Phillip Goldson International Airport. Sources told us that the trio was attempting to leave the country en-route to Cancun, Mexico.

Renovation of Haulover BridgeWorks were carried out last night on the Haulover Bridge. The bridge was closed to carry out necessary maintenance works on the bridge. Chief Engineer Lennox Bradley told us what sort of works was done.
LENNOX BRADLEY
” Firs of all I would like to say the motorists or the general public should not be alarmed about the works we are doing on the Haulover bridge. What we did last night was merely a sort of routine maintenance work. The works entailed welding back on some angle iron. Normally if you look at the Haulover Bridge it comprises of several precast slabs that form the deck on the bridge. Those precast concrete slabs have angle iron as a protection along the edges of the concrete slab to prevent the concrete slabs from breaking. What happened is that two of the slabs the welding of the angle iron broke and so we just had to weld back on the angle iron to continue protecting this slab and preventing the concrete slabs from breaking, not the cracking of any slab that would really create a problem with the integrity of the bridge, its none of that. It’s just the edges that were breaking off and to prevent that we welded on the angle iron to protect the concrete slabs on the bridge. That is what we did, it took two hours last night. We started at 10PM and we completed it just after midnight. The structural integrity of the bridge is still satisfactory for us. The public should have no fear, no alarm about using that Haulover bridge and the ministry has a program of works to continue maintain that bridge until the new replacement is in place. You do know that we have a replacement Haulover bridge proposed and that should be started shorty. It’s being funded through the Caribbean Development Fund and it’s a part of the road improvement program that we have between the intersection between the airport road on the Phillip Goldson Highway right down to Buttonwood bay and the roundabout in Belize City, that entire area will be upgraded.”

Another Vehicle Missing from the Ministry of HealthAnother Government vehicle has been stolen, this one from the Ministry of Health. Correspondent Angelica Cruz has the details.
Angelica Cruz
“Another vehicle has been reported missing from the Ministry of Health compound in Belmopan. According to the administrative assistant for the Ministry of Health Belmopan on Thursday morning September 11th sometime around 7AM she recieved a phone call from a senior health officer stating that the white 2008 Toyota Hilux pick up truck was missing from outside the Ministry of Health compound. Checks were made and they key for the vehicle was in the draw at the office. Several calls were made to senior officers within the Ministry and others who would normally ask for vehicle assistance but no one knew the whereabouts of the vehicles. This is the 4th vehicle to be stolen from the Ministry of Health compound in less than a year.”

Mobile House Burns down in DangrigaA mobile home was destroyed by fire this afternoon. Correspondent Harry Arzu has the details.
Harry Arzu
“This is what is left of this mobile home after it was destroyed by fire today. Shortly before 1PM this afternoon the owner of the mobile house, 42 year old Efraim Perez, left his house and insisted that everything was in order. few minutes from the house he heard the sound of a fire engine siren and instinctively responded to the sound. By the time the firefighters arrived on the scene the house was already engulfed in flames. They say that they had to forcefully kick down the main door to enter the building in an effort to extinguish the fire and prevent it from spreading to nearby homes and structures. When it was all over and the crowd subsided likewise the flames Perez told Love News that his loss amounted to some $26,000.”

Amandala

Monisha Stuart crowned 69th Queen of the BayOn the occasion of official ceremonies held at the Memorial Park in Belize City to commemorate the 216th Anniversary of the Battle of St. George’s Caye, Her Graciousness Monisha Stuart received the scepter from outgoing Queen of the Bay Jahrine Courtenay Avila, with which she will reign for the next 12 months over the “hearts of the Bay.”
Jahrine also transferred her red and gold crown and red robe to Monisha, who was beaming with a jubilant, radiant smile as she received the emblems of royalty, officially marking the start of her reign as the 69th Queen of the Bay.
Stuart, who won the pageant held at the Bliss Center for the Performing Arts on Saturday, August 31, was serenaded by Sofia Muschamp as she made her way to the throne to witness the performance of the winning song for this year’s National Song Competition.
For the 5th year, Nello Player submitted a winning entry. This year’s up-tempo song is dubbed “Real Belizean.

Another grenade found – rusty, but still deadly!An American-made grenade, identified as an M62, was found, along with a .38 Special Revolver, in a black plastic bag at about 10:00 a.m. yesterday, shortly before the 10th September Parade commenced.
The grenade was found by police who were conducting an operation in the area of Mayflower Street, and was safely recovered by BDF bomb experts, without any incident.
Senior Superintendent Edward Broaster, Deputy Commander of the Eastern Division Police, in an interview at the Racoon Street Police Station this morning, said that he and Brigadier General David Jones, Commander of the Belize Defence Force, were at the 10th September ceremonies at the Memorial Park when he got a call that a grenade was in the area of Mayflower Street, and they immediately went into operation to recover the grenade.

Man charged for drinking beer on the street on 10th September holiday!The so-called “quality of life crimes”, the enforcement of which has caused the crowding of the “[#%!] house” and has cluttered the Magistrate’s Court bureaucracy, were again prompting arrests by some over-zealous policemen yesterday, September 10, which was a national holiday.
In their enforcement of these “quality of life crimes,” a term borrowed from New York when Mayor Rudolph Giuliani led that US city, police officers may have been guilty of violating many citizens’ rights, keeping them in police lockdown for simple transgressions, such as riding a bicycle without a bell or light.
An engineer appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann Marie Smith this morning. His offense: “Public drinking.”
The hardworking and upright citizen was found by police drinking a beer on Euphrates Avenue.

FBI busts billion-dollar offshore “safe haven”The US Federal Bureau of Investigation and Belize police have launched a major operation at the Matalon and Gordon House on Coney Drive, two of the most prominent business centers in the area, in an effort to unravel what US authorities allege is a billion-dollar scheme through which US citizens were allowed to use shell companies incorporated offshore in Belize to hide their assets from US officials.
“Today’s sweeping indictment, charging the individuals and companies responsible for this US$500 million scheme, closes this fraudulent offshore safe haven and sends a strong message to those who seek to abuse the financial markets in order to enrich themselves that we will investigate and prosecute them no matter where they set up shop,” Loretta E. Lynch, United States attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said in an official statement.

4-time accused murderer is again on remand for murderGabriel Salazar, 27, who classifies himself as a fisherman of San Juan, San Pedro, was remanded on Monday, September 8, to the Belize Central Prison until November 6, on a charge of murder.
Police allege that Gabriel Salazar was the killer who shot and killed Rolando Espat, Jr., 23, of San Pedrito, San Pedro, at about 1:30 Saturday morning in San Pedrito while he was walking home after being at a club near his house.
As Espat was about 50 feet from his home, a gunman came up to him and shot him several times, at close range. The gunman then ran away and boarded a boat, which sped away.
Espat was declared dead on the scene. Police say that they saw him at the San Pedro clinic with two gunshot wounds in the chest, one in the left eye and one in the right upper thigh.

$14 mil downtown cultural museum project announced$14 million cultural renaissance project was announced on the occasion of the St. George’s Caye Day celebrations by chairman of the National Celebrations Commission, Hon. Manuel Heredia, Jr., Minister of Tourism, Culture and Civil Aviation.
In his address on Wednesday morning, September 10, Heredia said that the multi-million-dollar project will be spearheaded by his ministry, working in collaboration with the National Institute of Culture and History, and the Belize City Council.
The project will entail the rehabilitation of colonial resources in what he described as the old, historic downtown of Belize City, he said.

Alleged mastermind of the A&R heist charged with 2 counts of robberyThe man who police investigators believe masterminded the A&R robbery on August 20 was remanded to the Belize Central Prison after he appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann Marie Smith, who arraigned him on two counts of robbery.
Yesterday, Monday, Kevin Bodden pleaded not guilty to one count of robbery for A&R and one count of robbery for the theft of Deidra Hall’s two pieces of jewelry, valued at $350.
Bodden and his accomplices allegedly committed the robbery with a firearm, so the question of granting him bail did not arise and he was remanded to prison until his next court appearance date on October 9.
Bodden’s adjournment date is also the date when Leroy Ciego, 28, a security guard employed at A&R, will return to court for his case of conspiracy to commit robbery.

Nicholi Rhys, 23, remanded to prison on robbery chargeNicholi Rhys, who was charged with the high profile murder of the South Side Gangsters (SSG) leader Andre Trapp in June 2010, was remanded to prison today on a charge of robbery.
Rhys, a resident of 7 Tigris Street, pleaded not guilty to the single count of robbery when he appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann Marie Smith.
The court prosecutor, Corporal Christopher Smith, however, objected to bail being granted to Rhys, on the grounds of the seriousness of the offense, and the fact that Rhys has another similar case pending before the court, and if he is granted bail, there is a strong possibility that he would commit another similar offense.
In an effort to secure his freedom, Rhys asked the court not to remand him to prison, because he presently has a construction job.

Another Hilux stolen from the Ministry of Health compound in BelmopanA 2008 Toyota Hilux pickup truck has been stolen from the Ministry of Health compound in Belmopan and as of press time, the vehicle has not yet been found.
The driver of the pickup reported that at about 9:00 last night, he parked and secured the vehicle in the Ministry of Health compound, but at about 7:00 this morning, when he reported to work and went to get vehicle, it was not where he had parked it, and it was nowhere to be found.
Superintendent Howell Gillett, Commander of Belmopan police, said that the vehicle which was stolen is not one of the new ones that were donated to the Ministry of Health by the Pan American Health Organization with funding from the European Union, but an older vehicle.

Patrick Faber “escapes,” with police help–A report made by a young woman who was throwing a party at the home of Minister of Education, Hon. Patrick Faber, against the Minister, has been withdrawn, according to police, who have now said that they have “no comment” about the matter at a press conference this afternoon at the Racoon Street Police Station.
The cordon of protection around the Minister was so tight that even Police Press Officer, Raphael Martinez, refused to offer any information to the media. He even refused to provide a timeline between the time that the report was made to the Ladyville Police Station, and the time at which the complaint was actually withdrawn, which is standard information in a case of this kind.
Martinez would only say that “A report was made indeed, and it was subsequently withdrawn.”
When pressed about the substance of the report, Martinez reiterated that he could not comment on the report because it was withdrawn, and therefore “no longer exists.”

Belize Jaguars return home after disappointing outingAfter playing three valiant, but unsuccessful matches at this year’s UNCAF Nations Cup tournament, which is being held this month in the United States, the Men’s National “A” Football Selection, known as the Belize Jaguars, returned home today after falling out of the competition with three losses.
This year’s outing, unlike last year’s, could be considered disheartening, and LeRoy Sherrier-Lewis, the coach for the Jaguars, gave us his thoughts on how the team performed in the tournament and what were the challenges they encountered.
He said, “As a coach, I think we did a good job. We played heart and soul, but we couldn’t play better than that with 2 weeks of training. I just hope that in the future, the FFB and those in charge of football start to take this thing serious because we see that we can go out there and compete; but if we can’t compete at the same level, we will have problems all the time. Last year, we had three months of training. I just came in this year as a matter of emergency. I’m a coach, not a miracle worker, so I just want to be clear with the people. I’m just saying that if the team does not prepare like other teams prepare, then it’s impossible; we’ll never make it.”

Is FFB “going rogue” again?The jury is still out, so to speak, on the Ruperto Vicente led FFB administration.
There was no great fan-fare with the recent National “A” Team’s preparation for the UNCAF Central American Cup tournament. With a full financial report still pending for the last Gold Cup competition in the U.S., donors could hardly be expected to go overboard in support of the new initiative. As a result, our squad barely had a month in camp, and there were no international friendlies to help get our team in the best form possible. The explanation given was the missing FFB Vice-President, Rawell Pelayo, still being held in the U.S. by DEA authorities. Pelayo reportedly was fully in charge of the national team management at that time, and thus the FFB is unable to give account of all the monies. At the least, such a situation spells a shortcoming in the financial arrangements of the FFB, where transparency and accountability are concerned.

Victory party ends in mourningI am writing this essay with a deep, sad heart and tears in my eyes. Please forgive me if sentences are not in correct order. I must first say to all in Lemonal Village, especially to the Banner and Duheney family, on behalf of myself, my wife and family, our deepest sympathy on the tragic passing of Denvo Banner, who was one of the founding members of the cricket champion of this year’s competition, EASY DOES IT.
This gentleman came out on this blessed Saturday at the club’s victory party, not knowing that on that night, his delightfulness, his joyful spirit would have been the end for him. Someone was lurking around, waiting for the opportune time to cut his life short.
When his missing was reported, as I was informed, I don’t think that authorities had taken it that seriously, because his remains were found within the village. If correct actions were taken, the body would have been discovered earlier. I am not in any way criticizing the authorities in any damaging way, but it is time that a missing person report be dealt with in a more professional manner. One in those positions must know when a report is made, if that missing person is one who is always one who goes but comes back. Or, let’s say, a runaway child.

Mugger Day football games at St. Martin’s Field on SundayVincent “Winty J” Johnson informed us today that two friendly football games are being planned in connection with the 2nd Annual Mugger Day, which is again hosted by a living legend himself, Nelson “the Roo” Robinson at #3 Oleander Street, across from the St. Martin’s football field, on Sunday, September 14. Winty J said the first game is a youth match, featuring kids coached by Jerome “Peeloff” Maheia of Yabra and Dion “Pussy” Flowers of Third World. That game starts at 12:00 noon, to be followed by the veterans’ game – Kulture vs “The Rest.” Kulture won last year’s Mugger Day veterans’ game.
All veteran football players are invited to the festivities.
For interested donors, contributions are still welcome. “A football would be appreciated,” said Wiinty J. The Roo can be contacted at 627-7471 or 661-6908; and Winty J at 635-9724.

Brands and bull …First Caribbean International Bank used to be Barclays Bank. It was established by two brothers, David and Alexander Barclay, who made their money in the slave trade. What’s the point? Capitalism changes its brands in order to create new images of itself. The philosophy of capitalism itself became “free trade,” privatization,” and “globalization” over the last two decades.
Capitalism was once known as “racism,” “colonialism,” and “imperialism.” This was during the era after World War II when the people of Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean were rising up against the said racism, colonialism, and imperialism, and in the United Nations the white supremacist nations of the world, such as Belgium, were scurrying to change their brands. In seeking to change its brand, Belgium hastily gave the Belgian Congo independence in 1960. But Belgium had no intention of giving up the mineral riches of the Congo. This is capitalism. Capitalism does not care about people. Capitalism only cares about money, profits.

From the PublisherIt seems to me that at foundation in 1950, the People’s United Party (PUP) was a revolutionary movement, but I am not convinced that the Right Honorable George C. Price was himself a revolutionary. In 1951, the National Party (NP) was definitely a colonial organization, but the Hon. Philip Goldson, an original PUP leader who in 1958 led the Honduran Independence Party (HIP) into a coalition with the National Party to form the National Independence Party (NIP) was certainly not himself a colonialist.
In the early 1950s Mr. Goldson was a more daring official of the PUP than was Mr. Price. Mr. Goldson visited Guatemala City for a week during the presidency of Jacobo Arbenz, and on his return to British Honduras he publicly described that week in Guatemala as “seven days of freedom.” Afterwards, he was convicted in the British Honduras Supreme Court for sedition and served nine months in jail, “with hard labor.”
The first Leader of the PUP was Johnny Smith. Less than two weeks after Richardson and Goldson were imprisoned, he buckled under heavy pressure from the British colonial authorities and resigned from the leadership and membership of the PUP. He later ran against Mr. Price in Belize North in the 1954 general election, and was badly beaten.

Letter to the Editor: What’s going on?
Dear Editor,
I usually like to slip on a little music while I’m cooking dinner, and the other day and in a certain mood while stirring the pot, I was moving to the sounds of Marvin Gaye’s timeless masterpiece of a secular church service from 1971,”What’s Going On.”
I call it a “secular church service” because Marvin Gaye—an African American roots brother—through his own talent and generosity of spirit, knew how to invoke high spirituality and soul, and he knew we would all be better off if all the religious orders, with their beliefs in unknowable absolutes were to disappear— along with their superstitions and divisive doctrines, their pious platitudes and hypocrisies.
I imagine the good people of Belize must daily ask, What’s Going On? It’s a secret to no one that the political parties in Belize are riddled with corruption—along with corrupt bureaucrats, corrupt police, attorneys and the judiciary—everyone with their kick-back schemes, their bribes, busily enriching themselves while fleecing the country: WHAT’S GOING ON?

GSU commander out of order: Major JonesDear Editor,
It was with incredulity that I watched Inspector Mark Flowers, the Commander of the Gang Suppression Unit (GSU) attack, with what appeared to be partisan undertones, a senior Member of Parliament and a former two-time Prime Minister of Belize.
My horror was derived not from the notion that the Rt. Hon. Said Musa was undeserving of a verbal flogging for his comments about the GSU, but rather that such a rebuttal came from a senior police officer—the head of the most feared, armed agency of the State.
I do not wish to dissect the comments of the Rt. Hon. Said Musa nor do I wish to dissect those of Inspector Flowers. My sole concern here is the message being sent about the state of our democracy, when a member of one of the constitutionally defined, “disciplined forces” of Belize, can so publicly and so viciously attack a sitting member of Parliament. And with apparent impunity!

Two crocs transferred from San Pedro to LadyvilleChris Summers, the British national crocodile wrangler and environmentalist, along with Chenot Rose, Director of ACES (American Crocodile Educational Sanctuary), captured two crocodiles in San Pedro and transferred the aggressive female crocodiles to the ACES crocodile sanctuary in Ladyville this afternoon.
The two crocodiles, each weighing around 250 pounds, are about 9 feet in length. The crocodiles were put onboard a boat from San Pedro, which docked at the wharf in the Haulover Creek, near Quality Poultry store on North Front Street.
Summers said that the transfer was done to prevent the crocodiles from attacking and killing humans because they have been fed by people, and might become aggressive and lose their fear of humans.
Crocodiles should not be fed either directly or indirectly (by throwing food into an area where they are known to be living) by humans, Summers explained.

Carlos Raúl Morales is Guatemala’s new Foreign MinisterGuatemala’s president announced changes to his Cabinet on Monday, September 8, including the installation of a new Foreign Minister to replace Fernando Carrero, who will assume the position of Gert Rosenthal as Guatemala’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Washington, D.C.
With Carrera’s departure, his vice minister, Ambassador Carlos Raúl Morales, will become the lead official in Guatemala’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
President Molina also announced that Víctor Corado would assume the role of Minister of Communications, Infrastructure and Housing, in place of Alejandro Sinibaldi, who has resigned to take up a leadership role in Partido Patriotico.

The BDF, the 10th and the borderEach year since the nation’s Independence in 1981, Belize Defence Force (BDF) soldiers, as “Guard of Honor” welcoming dignitaries to the official event, provide the pomp and circumstance for the official St. George’s Caye Day ceremony, but their presence there is far more symbolic, according to Brigadier General David Jones, BDF Commander.
Jones told Amandala that their presence during the ceremony is symbolic for the armed forces because like the Baymen, they have a vital role to play in the continued defending of Belize, particularly along the country’s border with Guatemala.
“We keep our armed forces around to give our Belizean public a reminder of that. There was a battle and the people decided to defend Belize and now we do have an armed force that has that responsibility,” said Jones.

Belize’s Baymen: Timeless examplesAt official ceremonies for St. George’s Caye Day held at Memorial Park in Belize City on Wednesday morning, hundreds of Belizeans and guests had the opportunity to reflect on the meaning of the annual 10th celebrations, which was the highlight of the September celebrations before Independence was declared in 1981.
It is also fitting to pause and reflect on the reason for assembly: What is it about the Battle that is worthy of celebrating, probed Belize City Mayor Darrell Bradley, in his welcome remarks.
“Today, we celebrate the Baymen and their historic victory at the Battle of St. George’s Caye for their timeless examples of nation-building. It is not that these Baymen were perfect—far from it—but their example of courage in the face of aggression, unity in the face of struggle, determination against all odds, are lessons for us on how we should embrace our struggles and how we should build this our Belizean nation,” said Bradley.

Bernard Wagner leaves Belize Bank after 23 yearsAfter 23 years with the Belize Bank, Bernard Wagner, Retail Manager at the Market Square branch in Belize City, is moving on into international banking.
Wagner is one of the few locals to make it up the ladder in the banking sector, but he tendered his resignation on Friday, August 29, with effect on October 29. We understand, though, that the bank fast-tracked his departure effective Friday, September 5, which, we are told, is a customary practice when senior personnel opt to leave.
Belize Bank is the country’s largest bank, and we asked Wagner why he has opted to resign. He would only say that he has been seeking greater career opportunities and has decided the time is right.

BSCFA and BSI meet to hammer out new commercial agreementOfficials from the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association (BSCFA) and Belize Sugar Industries (BSI) convened at BSI Staff Club yesterday in an effort to work on engagements for a new commercial agreement which is being designed to cement the commercial relationship between local cañeros and the country’s premier sugar producer.
The negotiations for the new commercial proposal comprises of discussions on the looming issue of quantum payment for bagasse, which has been a recent source of contention between the two parties, and after the meeting, vice chair of the BSCFA Committee of Management, Alfredo Ortega, told the media that the association will analyze the proposal which has been put forward in hopes that there will be a win-win situation for all involved at the end of the negotiating process.

Schism between CWU and CIBC First Caribbean Bank partially resolvedPresident of the Christian Workers Union (CWU), Audrey Matura-Shepherd, announced to the media Tuesday morning that it had just been agreed in a face-to-face meeting with officials of CIBC First Caribbean International Bank that Uwahnie Martinez, the loans officer from the Dangriga branch who had recently resigned after tensions peaked with the management over restrictions she said she has faced in using her native language, could part ways with the bank immediately with all her benefits intact.
“The bank believes that the matter has become very tense or contentious, whatever word they want to use, and so Ms. Uwahnie Martinez has effectively been released from her job today,” Matura-Shepherd notified the press.

CCJ to hear nationalization and Maya land rights appeals in OctoberThe Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) has set December as the month for hearing the appeals filed by the Ashcroft Alliance and Fortis Energy International (Belize) challenging the nationalization of Belize Telemedia Limited (BTL) and Belize Electricity Limited, respectively.
Case management sessions are scheduled for November in the appeals filed by Dean Boyce, British Caribbean Bank and Fortis, as well as a cross-appeal by the Government of Belize.
Next month, October, the CCJ will also hold case management sessions for the Maya land rights appeal filed by the Toledo Alcaldes Association, the Maya Leaders Alliance and 23 villages of the Toledo District, as well as a cross-appeal by the Government of Belize.

The Reporter

Haulover Bridge repairedWork to repair the Haulover Bridge took far less time than was anticipated on Thursday night, with traffic halted from 10 p.m to a few minutes past midnight.
The repairs were to weld back angle iron that protect the edges of the precast slabs that form the deck on the bridge.
Reports are that two of the irons broke and had to be re-welded to prevent the concrete from breaking.
Lennox Bradley, the Ministry of Works’ Chief Engineer has said that the public need not be concerned about the structural integrity of the Haulover Bridge and that continuous maintenance work will be carried out to keep the bridge. Bradley added that the Ministry is satisfied with the structural soundness of the bridge.

One detained for violent in home invasion in San PedroSan Pedro Police have detained one man after a violent home invasion in the Tres Cocos Area of San Pedro Town. The department told the Reporter on Saturday that due to protocol, the person’s name will not be released until he has been formally charged.
Reports are that officers visited the Cloister’s apartment building yesterday where they saw 68-year-old Douglas Kelly, his wife 65-year-old Gail Neal, and 40-year-old Thomas Fiorille, all American citizens, suffering from cut wounds.
Investigations revealed that Kelly and Neal were in their living room when they heard a noise coming from their front veranda. When Kelly went to investigate a tall, dark-skinned man attacked him. His wife was injured as she tried to assist him in the struggle.

Chilean parliamentarian charged with killing left-wing militantsA member of Chile’s parliament has been charged with the killing of three left-wing militants during the dictatorship of Gen Augusto Pinochet.
Rosauro Martinez was an army captain at the time of the incident in 1981.
He led a patrol in southern Chile in search of members of the Revolutionary Left Movement (MIR), which sought to overthrow the Pinochet regime.
By Marion Ali, Staff Reporter
Rosauro Martinez, a member of Chile’s parliament has been charged with the killing of three left-wing militants during the dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet.

Expo 2014 – waterproof!
Not even Saturday morning’s torrential rains could keep Belizeans away from the annual Expo Marketplace organized by the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry. BCCI ticket sales show over 19,000 Belizeans visited the Expo at the Institute for Technical Vocational and Employment Training (ITVET) in […]

Jump Street, Erotic & Mother Nature Creations win Carnival Kings & Queens
The Jump Street Masqueraders swept both junior Queen and King titles, while the Erotic Mas Band won senior Queen and Mother Nature’s Creations captured the senior King title, when the National Institute for Culture and History (NICH) hosted the annual Carnival kings and queens competition […]

Taiwan donates to educational institutions
A number of schools in the Cayo District recently received donations of computers, printers, projectors, school bags and boxes of stationary from the government of Taiwan. The recipients included Sacred Heart Junior College, El Progresso Primary, Hidden Paradise, Buena Vista Government School, San Marcus, […]

PUP vs Saldivar
PUP Leader Francis Fonseca says that his party’s national executive did not act illegally or outside of its authority when it decided to suspend the party’s Belize Rural North standard bearer, Arthur Saldivar. In an interview with The Reporter this week, Fonseca said: “We’re […]

Belize to receive anti-corruption recommendations from OAS
Belize is one of six countries to receive recommendations on anti-corruption matters from the Organization of American States (OAS) at the 24th Committee of Experts meeting in Washington D.C. this week. The conference, which started on Monday, was the latest meeting of the Mechanism […]

Minster of Education cautions parents about school fees
Minister of Education Patrick Faber this week called on parents to be vigilant about the cost of school fees and make reports to the Ministry in cases where schools may be over-charging for fees. According to Faber, each school sets its own fees but […]

Belize premiers first telenovela drama
Belize’s first locally produced telenovela “La Isla Bonita” officially premiered at the Paradise Theatre in San Pedro town this past weekend. According to Executive Producer, Horacio Guerrero, the plan is to do 25 episodes. Guerrero said they are currently in talks with national and […]

US$500 million scam found
The United States’ Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has indicted six men including one Belizean on charges of conspiracy to commit securities fraud, tax fraud, and money laundering of up to US$500 million. The indictment was read on Tuesday in a Federal District Court […]

Seven men charged for Faber’s Road robbery
Seven men who police say used a gun to hold up the Faber’s Road Snack Shop at the corner of Lionel Tillett Street and Faber’s Road Extension just before 11:30 a.m. last Friday have been charged with a series of offences, including robbery, conspiracy […]

Gariel “Gabby” Salazar, 27, a fisherman of San Juan layout, San Pedro Town, is on remand at the Hattieville Correctional Facility following the Saturday morning shooting death of Rolando Espat Jr, 22, a fellow fisherman of the San Pedrito area in the same town. Espat was reportedly heading home from […]

Recent statements by leaders of the People’s United Party avowing to disband the Gang Suppression Unit when the party comes to power were made on impulse, we believe, and do not reflect the broad-based opinion of the members and supporters of the PUP. Even though the GSU has stepped on […]

Coming Soon: Public consultations on gun law
Citizens will have a chance to express their opinions about the controversial amendment to the Firearms Act in upcoming public consultations, according to Prime Minister Hon. Dean Barrow. Barrow speaking at a special sitting of the House of Representatives on Friday explained that government tabled […]

Grenade found on Tenth!Police found another grenade on Mayflower Street on Wednesday, September 10 according to Senior Superintendent of Police, Edward Broaster.
Broaster told reporters that police received a call around 10 on the morning of the 10th holiday. He said that Belize Defense Force Commander and bomb expert, Brigadier General David Jones, who was already in Belize City attending the formal ceremony for the 10th, was able to quickly move to the scene and safely remove the device.
Along with the grenade, authorities also found a .38 calibre revolver.
Broaster explained that the tip about the weapons came as part of the Police Department’s “Not in My City” campaign.
Jones told The Reporter that the grenade, which was in a bag, was slightly corroded and extremely dangerous.

The Belize Times

FABER ABUSE COVER UPIt is a shame that none of the normally-vociferous advocates of women have stood up to condemn the actions of Minister of Education Patrick Faber. Not even the Special Envoy to Women and Children, Kim Simpliss-Barrow, has issued a statement over Faber’s reported assault of a female employee of his Ministry. Could it be that her silence reflects her compromised position as wife of the Prime Minister? Is she more concerned that her comments on this issue would affect his political lifeline? If it were not for the Opposition People’s United Party the entire nation would appear to be quite ok with the serious transgressions of the Minister of Education. Social media has been buzzing and boiling with views, opinions and enough criticism to force the Minister’s firing but the Prime Minister doesn’t budge at the stroke of keys. The expected voices of condemnation, which could have rattled Barrow’s cage, never came so there has been no reprimand. Faber, 36, was accused by Nickeisha Polanco of assault.

Why I write…By G. Michael Reid
I have been at this business of writing columns for well over two decades. I have had advice, compliments and criticism; yes and even condemnation. I must say, I enjoy the feedback and take them all in stride. I pay heed to every critique and take note of anything that anyone has to say. If it is complimentary, I fluff up a bit but try desperately to not let things go to my head; cognizant that some folks will tell you anything. If there is reproof, I examine it and if with merit, reflect and grow; if I find them baseless, I toss them aside for I feel it, so I know. Whatever I find constructive, sensible and with merit, I embrace and forge forward in my futile resistance to this unyielding “cacoethes scribendi”.
I imagine that writing comes easy to some people but for me, it is quite the effort. I try to stay with topics that will interest readers and try to write in order that readers can readily follow the points I am trying to make. While attributed to several persons, I believe it was Alexander Pope who said, “Easy reading is damn hard writing.” Someone flipped it around and said that “Easy writing is damn hard reading”. That reverse version carries equal validity and veracity.

Editorial: The Prime Minister is a …. LiarWhat is worse than a lying Prime Minister? A thieving Prime Minister, perhaps? Or a lying and thieving Prime Minister?
We categorically condemn Prime Minister Dean Barrow for lying on Hon. Anthony Fuentes at last Friday’s meeting of the House of Representatives.
It was a shameful, low-down, dirty attack on the elected Mayor of Punta Gorda Town who was not present to defend himself and provide the facts to the nation. It is also a cowardly act.
This is not the first time, nor dare we say, the last time that the Prime Minister has used meetings of the House to engage in scurrilous attacks on persons he wishes to humiliate and scandalize.

Digicel 4G takes on BDF in volleyball finalsBTL Digicel 4G and the Belize Defense Force will meet in the Belize District volleyball interoffice championship finals on Thursday and Friday, September 11-12.
Digicel 4G won over the SQ Dragons in 3 sets on Saturday. BTL’s Victor Hernandez, Adrian Mahler, Otis Clother and Rasheed Pollard led the offensive scoring points on plays set by Janine Salazar, Emily Turner and Shanti Roches, and libero Amir Arnold rotated into play to help on defense whenever they lost the serve, but nothing seemed to work in the 1st set which the Dragons won 25-10.
Alex Evans, Kelsey Balderamos and Nerissa Ramirez led the Dragons’ attacks at the net spiking home points at the net, and the Quan brothers James and Peter, and Antonio Quan received, set or tricked the ball over the net, but they had bloodied BTL’s nose. The Digicel crew moved in for the kill and won the 2nd set: 25-11 and the 3rd set: 15-10. Digicel had also won the 1st semifinal: 25-14, 25-15.

Team Belize wins 5 medals at XVIII CODICADER Junior Scholastic GamesTeam Belize won 5 medals including 1 gold, 1 silver and 3 bronze at the 18th CODICADER Junior Scholastic Games in Retalhuleu, Guatemala.
ACC’s Shanicka Augustine won our only gold medal when she cleared 11.42 meters in the triple jump at the Multisports Complex in Quetazlatenango on Thursday, September 4.
TCC’s James Bregal won silver in the 100m on Tuesday and Muffles College’s Catherine Tan won bronze in the javelin. TCC’s Ezhay Cayetano cleared 12.84 meters to also win bronze in the triple jump last Thursday. Belize’s track and field team came home last Friday, September 5, the same day Caesar Dyke of Sacred Heart College won Belize’s 3rd bronze medal in karate kumite in the 76kg division

The Citizen Kim- Elvin Penner Immigration Corruption Saga – Extracted from the Auditor General’s Preliminary Report dated March 19, 2014Passport Application Wonhong Kim – Passport Number P0246777
Section 3(1) (a) of the Passport Regulations 2013 stipulates:
An applicant shall submit his application for a passport to be issued –
(a) In his own name, in the form set out as form I in Schedule I
The application form dated 3rd September was found in the file processed on 9th September 2013, for Wonhong Kim was not the original application, but a photocopied form.
We observed that the surnamed on the application submitted by the applicant was stated as Kin and not the surname Kim in which his passport P0246777 was issued in. The supporting documents which included his native Korean passport M38368121 issued 23rd December 2008 with expiry date 23rd December 2018, nationality certificate number 28577/13 dated 22nd April 2013 signed by Minister Elvin Penner. Also included were recommender forms A and B endorsed and signed by Alfonso Cruz Jr. and Minister Elvin Penner dated 2nd and 3rd September 2013, stating that they knew him for 4 years and 3 years as a friend respectively. These were all attached to the application form which had the name Wonhong Kin.

Representative Democracy – A NecessityThe problem of functionality of violence is implicit in traditional political and legal parlance. For on the one hand, we learnt that the state has a legitimate monopoly of force or violence or the monopoly of sanctions for the allocation of values and such statement that violence is functional to the political system or order when employed by its legitimate rulers or power wielders, but not when employed by others J. Carl Freidrick, Man and His Government, 1963.
Aside from the inherent problem, a bigger problem exists in the “functionality of violence” when the “Legitimate monopoly of force” unleashes unwarranted force and strips its citizenry of their constitutional values in carrying out its function. This has become the concern of the vast majority of Belizeans living in the downtrodden neighborhoods of the Southside of the “Jewel”. Constant allegations of GSU brutality and illegal searches have been made against the Gang Suppression Unit. The people have been crying out for the representative democracy that should be afforded through the present Government of which members of the United Democratic Party comprise the majority.

Another Government Vehicle Stolen – Police link Guatemalan black-market to thefts
City of Belmopan, September 11, 2014
The way late-model vehicles are disappearing under the nose of Government officials, one would think they are aimlessly being given away at the expense of tax payers.
Another vehicle – the fifth in just three months– went missing sometime between Tuesday September 9th and Wednesday September ...

KHMH to pay for 2013 neo-natal deaths
Belize City, September 3, 2014
One year and four months after thirteen babies died at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital due to gross maladministration, ...

Corralling the Private Bar
By E. Andrew Marshalleck SC
Last week Friday the Government tabled in the House of Representatives a Bill proposing to amend the Legal Profession Act of Belize to abolish the mandatory requirement that attorneys-at-law called to the Bar in Belize be ...

My tomato dream for Belize
By Richard Harrison
Tomato is a vegetable-fruit that can be grown year-round in Belize.
Belize can produce a large surplus of tomato, using a fraction of the land used to produce corn. However it would have to develop green-house tomato production and/or expand irrigated systems production to make this happen.
In 2007, the ...

Representative Democracy – A Necessity
Contributed
The problem of functionality of violence is implicit in traditional political and legal parlance. For on the one hand, we learnt that the state has a legitimate monopoly of force or violence or the monopoly of sanctions for the allocation of values and such statement that violence is functional to ...

WOMAN IN THE HOUSE – TOO BIG TO APOLOGIZE!!
By Dolores Balderamos Garcia
On Friday September 5, 2014 the House of Representatives met in Belmopan. Earlier in the morning I called in to Plus Television to say that the Opposition members were expecting that Government would be introducing legislation to reduce the draconian provisions of the gun laws, and as ...

REFLECTIONS ON THE PUBLIC SQUARE – UDP NEGLECT AND DISRESPECT
By Francis W. Fonseca
At the last sitting of the House of Representatives I rose on the adjournment to address the issue of the growing neglect and blatant disrespect of our rural communities by this UDP Government and the ongoing political victimization of our duly elected PUP Town Councils in Punta ...

You cannot serve two masters, Insp. Mark Flowers
Dear Editor,
It was with incredulity that I watched Inspector Flowers, the Commander of the Gang Suppression Unit (GSU) attack, with what appeared to be partisan undertones, a senior Member of Parliament and a former two-time Prime Minister of Belize.
My horror was derived not from the notion that the Rt. Hon. ...

Will any of the 20,000 stand up?
Dear Editor,
For a second time the women of Belize have been disrespected by the Minister of Education, Youth and Sports, Patrick Faber. Adding salt to this injury is that none of the so-called women advocates are standing up for one of their own.
One would have expected that considering the gravity ...

Patrick Jones

Security guard charged for unlicensed firearm
Forty year old Leroy Salgado, a security guard employed by Anchor Security, was charged with kept firearm and ammunition without a gun license when he appeared today before Magistrate Dale Cayetano. Salgado pleaded not guilty to the charges and was remanded into custody until September 30. On September […]

Non-appearance frees constable of extortion charge
Two persons who accused 41 year old police constable Dayton Sacassa of extorting money from them to release them from police custody failed to appear in court today, ensuring that charges were dismissed against him. Sacassa was freed by Chief Magistrate Ann-Marie Smith, who dismissed the charges after […]

Owen Parham dodges robbery and assault charges
Magistrate Herbert Panton has found 37 year old Owen Parham not guilty of attempted robbery, harm, aggravated assault and going equipped for crime, but he must pay a fine for resisting lawful arrest by special constable James Stewart. It is an unusual story because the two men tell […]

MCC reconstruction moves forward
The MCC Grounds is the primary sporting and activity venue for Belizeans in the wake of the still-incomplete Marion Jones Sporting Complex. But for the past few months it too has been under renovation, with improvements to the football field and general amenities. We got an update today […]

Home invasion in San Pedro town terrifies American retireesA home invasion in San Pedro town has left a retired American couple and their neighbour injured.
Around 12:10 am today Douglas Kelly, 68 and his wife Gail Neal, 65, were accosted inside their apartment Tres Cocos area of San Pedro Town by a tall, dark skin man.
The intruder, according to police carried a knife and after gaining entry to the building, inflicted cut wounds to Kelly and Neal.
A neighbour, Thomas Fiorille, 40, heard the commotion and came over to investigate.
That was when he too was attacked and also suffered cut wounds.
After a brief struggle, during which the intruder was reportedly injured in the head, the attacker made good his escape. Initial police report says that nothing was reported stolen.

Top 15 Resorts, Lodges & Hotels in Cayo BelizeOver the years, Cayo has been dubbed as the Eco tourism Capital of Belize due to its abundant of Maya ruins like Caracol, Xunantunich and Cahal Pech, waterfalls like Rio on Pools and Thousand Foot Falls, meandering rivers like the Macal and Mopan, and spectacular caves like Actun Tunichil Muknal and Barton Creek.
Cayo also has a plethora of resorts, lodges and hotels that can be used as bases to explore the wonderful attractions of western Belize.
Below we have put together a list of the top affordable and reasonable resorts, lodges and hotels in Cayo that you can stay in on your next vacation:

Friday’s Featured Food: The Best Cheesecake in Belize at Delicious Designs, El Rey Hotel, BelmopanThis week I’ve been travelling in Belize and one of the things I really wanted to do is prove there is so much more to see here than beaches and snorkelling. After an awesome few days in Caye Caulker and Ambergris Caye (San Pedro), I decided to hit up the capital city of Belize. You might not know that the capital is Belmopan!
I searched online and found a cool hotel there called El Rey Hotel so I booked in for a couple of nights here to enjoy the capital city and do some tours to sites such as Xunantunich and Actun Tunichil Muknal (I’ll write more about them soon!). Belmopan had a few surprises in store including what is easily the best cheesecake I’ve had for a long time! In fact the only other cheesecake that comes close was the Brunei Cheesecake I tried in Bandar Seri Begawan.

Integrating the Caribbean and Central AmericaIn continuing with what I’ve been talking about for several years now as to how things are being integrated into districts and all that. Earlier posts talk about the over all picture, others talk about the regional CARICOM and SICA stuff and some other angle. This one speaks more into that. Time to wake up Belizeans.
The Central American Integration System (SICA) was formed in 1991 and is a regional organization which includes the States of Belize, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama.
This alliance was formed with the purpose of enhancing integration for the cohesion on sensitive issues such as poverty, democracy, freedom and trade.
According to SICA’s mandate, one of the purposes of SICA is to “promote, in a harmonious and balanced way, the sustained economic, social, cultural and political development of Member States and the region as a whole.”

International Sources

Videos

Video: Sustainable community development in Belize, 4min.Capitalism is a world wide tool for development. It has been poorly used for selfish ends everywhere and has become a pariah to sensitive humanity. Used properly, ethically, it can be of great benefit to the world.The tools for this exist in ethically and conscience based business models.
Our 'Ethical Business Exchange' will undertake many seminars, presentations, trainings and consultancies in Belize and Central America.
The Organic and quality solar dried fruits model business is established locally and must export its products to become well used and financially useful.